


don't they know that i adore you

by SJAandDWfan



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, and energy, and time, au day of the second prom appreciation week, but i ran out of word count, for this to go in the main fic, so have a missing scene from the last chapter of cowgirl au, technically it's more than one scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19120336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SJAandDWfan/pseuds/SJAandDWfan
Summary: Emma knew that she and Alyssa should’ve been wearing something more substantial than t-shirts and underwear for when Betsy got home, but she couldn’t help it if – especially after last night – even just looking at Alyssa made her so giddy and distracted that she couldn’t think straight. As things turned out, they’d only just started talking about the logistics of moving to New York when they heard the sound of Betsy’s truck pulling up in front of the house.ora "missing scene" in the final chapter of cowgirl au, taking place before the epilogue and featuring wlw icon betsy nolan, angel the shetland pony, and mrs greene maybe making an effort.





	don't they know that i adore you

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't have time to write what i originally planned for au day, but i was sad i didn't get to inlcude this bit of cowgirl au in the main fic, so have it now!
> 
> here's the cowgirl au if you haven't read it but would like to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17876765
> 
> if you don't have the time or patience to read a nearly 70k fic i totally understand! but i'm afraid this ficlet might not make a lot of sense without having read it! i still think it's cute though :)
> 
> title once again from "bad love" by the aces. enjoy!

Emma knew that she and Alyssa should’ve been wearing something more substantial than t-shirts and underwear for when Betsy got home, but she couldn’t help it if – especially after last night – even just looking at Alyssa made her so giddy and distracted that she couldn’t think straight. As things turned out, they’d only just started talking about the logistics of moving to New York when they heard the sound of Betsy’s truck pulling up in front of the house.

Emma froze for a moment as she realized how this would look to anyone walking in. And how accurate the assumption would be. Vaguely remembering something about the open-door policy they had blatantly disregarded, Emma leapt out of bed and pulled open the top drawer of her dresser. She grabbed a pair of sweatpants that were just a little snug on her and tossed them to Alyssa, who caught them one-handed as she stood up. She was giggling as she pulled them up her legs, clearly not as worried about Betsy’s potential reaction as Emma was.

“Emma, it’s okay,” Alyssa said. “She won’t be mad.”

“But what if she is?” Emma asked, grabbing a pair of jeans and stepping into them. “What if she does the same thing my parents did and I can’t come back from it and—”

“Hey,” Alyssa interrupted, gently grabbing Emma’s hands. “She won’t. You know she won’t. She’s not like your parents, Emma, she’s always been so supportive of you – of us.”

Emma took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. “You’re right, you’re right. Sorry, I just panicked.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Alyssa said, squeezing her hands. Her eyes searched Emma’s. “And besides, even if she is a little mad… was it worth it?”

Emma’s breath caught in her throat, and she blushed. “Yes.”

“For me too,” Alyssa agreed with a soft smile. “Besides, she might not even be able to tell.”

 

She was definitely able to tell.

In Emma’s defence, she and Alyssa didn’t have a lot of time to make themselves more presentable by the time they met Betsy at the front door. They’d brushed their teeth, Alyssa using the same spare Emma had given her last night, raced down the stairs and had reached the hallway just as Betsy was opening the door. She’d greeted them normally enough; it was late morning and, had it been any day other than Sunday, completely normal for Alyssa to be there.

“Morning girls, I’ve got an impatient little pony in the trailer so I’d love some help getting him settled and—” Betsy cut herself off as a frown creased her already wrinkled face. “It’s Sunday.”

“Yes, grandma,” Emma said. “I’m so glad you can still remember the days of the week. Looks like we won’t have to put you in a home after all.”

Betsy swatted at her. “I’d like to see you try and put me in a home. But what I mean is, isn’t Alyssa usually at church?”

“My mother is hungover at the Kleins’ house,” Alyssa explained. “I don’t think she’s feeling up to church today.”

Betsy laughed. “Ah. That would explain why she hasn’t battered the front door down looking for Alyssa when she didn’t come home last night.”

“What?” Emma knew her eyes had gone wide, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Well, _your_ hair is even more of a mess than usual,” Betsy pointed out, before turning to Alyssa. “And _you’re_ wearing my granddaughter’s clothes. Also, girls, I hate to break it to you both but neither of you are subtle and I’m not an idiot.”

Emma and Alyssa both stuttered for a moment before Betsy laughed again. Emma’s heart was racing, but although her grandma had seen through them with a piercing stare, she didn’t seem upset, or anything close to upset.

“Anyway, like I was saying, can I have some help with this pony?” Betsy jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

“Yeah, sure,” Emma finally managed to say, hastily pulling some boots on. Alyssa slipped her feet into the sparkly sneakers she’d worn to the prom last night, ready to help too, but Betsy shook her head.

“Run on home and change into some more suitable footwear,” she advised. She suddenly smirked at Alyssa, leaning closer conspiratorially. “And maybe work on covering up that hickey before you next see your mother.”

Alyssa clapped a hand to her neck. Emma wished more than anything that the ground would open up beneath her feet. She looked frantically between her girlfriend and her grandmother, entirely unsure of what she should do or say. Luckily, Betsy seemed to just be entertained by how embarrassed they both were, and she let Alyssa go home to change.

In the meantime, Emma helped her to unload this new farm addition. The Shetland pony was determined to make his presence known even before Emma laid eyes on him, if the banging coming from inside the trailer was any indication.

He rushed out of the trailer as soon as he was untied, and it was only then that Emma realized what Alyssa had meant when she’d said that these ponies held a lot of chaotic evil in their tiny bodies. This pony’s withers didn’t even come up to Emma’s waist, but his eyes looked sharp and determined – or, at least, what Emma could see of his eyes under his bushy white mane. His coat was golden in color, which if Emma had been listening to Alyssa correctly when she’d talked about horse colors, made him a palomino.

Betsy held onto the rope clipped to his halter. “You’ll have to excuse the permanent glare. He’s Scottish.”

“Right,” Emma said, suddenly feeling very nervous.

Not long after, Alyssa jogged up to them, now dressed in jeans and boots – although she was still wearing the same shirt, which made Emma’s heart flutter in her chest. Alyssa took one look at the little Shetland pony and grinned.

“Yep,” she said. “That’s pretty much what I had in my head. What’s his name?”

Betsy cackled. “Angel.”

Emma spluttered incoherently, making Alyssa burst into uncontrollable laughter. “You have _got_ to be kidding me,” she finally managed.

“’Fraid not, kid,” Betsy said.

“Your _face_ ,” Alyssa wheezed, doubled over with her hands on her knees. “Oh my god, I’m getting light-headed.”

“Don’t make fun of my face,” Emma pouted, pulling Alyssa back upright and winding her arms around her waist. “Now please fulfil your girlfriend duties and defend me from the devil horse.”

Alyssa smiled wide, her cheek dimpling as she flung her arms around Emma’s shoulders and dragged her closer to Angel despite her protests. “Face your fears.”

“No, please, I don’t trust him,” Emma said.

Alyssa relented, but still didn’t let go of her. “That’s what you said about Pebbles.”

“That was because I thought he was too tall,” Emma pointed out. “This one is pure evil, I can feel it.”

Angel snorted, stamping the ground with a tiny hoof as if to prove Emma’s point. Emma pointed at him with one hand, eyes fixed on the pony, trying to get Betsy and Alyssa to understand exactly why she didn’t want to get any closer. Betsy ignored her, still holding onto Angel’s rope, and Alyssa just pressed a reassuring kiss to the corner of Emma’s mouth.

Immediately distracted, Emma turned her head to catch Alyssa’s lips dead on, trying to convey every one of the many emotions she’d been feeling all morning. Relief was a big part of what she was feeling; relief that nothing had become weird between them after last night, that they were still _them_. She felt Alyssa’s lips curve into a smile, and hoped that she’d got the message.

“Oh, to be young and in love,” Betsy grumbled good-naturedly.

 

* * *

 

It was early afternoon by the time Mrs Greene got home.

To her credit, she looked a lot better than Alyssa thought she would. Kaylee’s parents probably made pretty strong coffee, judging by how simultaneously put-together and frazzled her mother looked.

After helping to settle Angel onto the farm, Alyssa had come home and showered before covering up the hickey on her neck with some makeup. She’d stared at herself in the mirror for several minutes, trying to discern if she felt like a different person or not. She hadn’t felt _changed_ , not exactly, because being with Emma in that way had felt like a natural progression. It had been a big deal, but not overwhelmingly so.

Once her mom got home, the familiar nerves had started fluttering in her stomach. Things had been getting marginally better each day since Alyssa’s public coming out, but they weren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination.

“How was your prom, sweetheart?” Mrs Greene asked with only a slightly strained smile.

“It was perfect,” Alyssa said immediately. “Probably the best night of my life, to be honest.”

“Good,” her mother said, her expression actually warming a little at seeing how genuinely happy Alyssa was. “I’m glad.”

She slumped a little tiredly on the couch, Alyssa drumming her fingers nervously against her thigh before sitting down next to her. She definitely wanted to tell her mom about the prom itself, but she wasn’t sure how much of it she’d want to hear. Eventually, she decided that her mother would have to get used to her talking like this sooner or later.

“It was decorated so beautifully,” she told her. “Lots of bright lights, and streamers, and very New York themed.”

“Really?” her mother raised her eyebrows with interest. “That’s fitting.”

“It is,” Alyssa nodded, still relieved that her mother had taken the NYU news pretty well. The scholarship had definitely helped with that, and Alyssa sent up a thanks to whoever was watching over her that she’d been able to get the funding.

“Were those people there?” Mrs Greene asked warily.

Alyssa nodded. “They helped decorate the place themselves.”

“They did?” her mom seemed surprised at that.

“Everyone’s outfits were incredible,” Alyssa continued. She picked at a loose thread on her jeans; a nervous habit. “Emma was… I don’t even have the words for how amazing Emma looked.”

“What was she wearing?” Mrs Greene asked.

Alyssa was taken aback at the fact that her mother was actually asking her to talk more about Emma. “This beautiful velvet tux with a shirt and tie.”

Mrs Greene pursed her lips slightly, but didn’t say anything, which Alyssa counted as progress.

“She gave me a corsage,” Alyssa continued, unable to stop the – no doubt dopey – smile from spreading across her face.

“Oh?” her mom’s eyes softened a little.

“Can you help me press the flowers from it?” Alyssa asked quietly. “I wanna keep it forever.”

To her surprise, her mother nodded. “We can start that tonight, if you want?”

“I’d like that,” Alyssa smiled. She regarded her mom for a long moment before speaking again. “I know you still don’t understand, and things are going to take time, but I just want you to know that I love her. More than I thought was possible to love somebody.”

Mrs Greene swallowed. “Does she love you that much, too?”

“She does,” Alyssa said softly. “Mom. Please just give her a chance, because you’re never going to be able to change my mind about her. Emma… she’s _it_ for me. I just know it.”

Her mother nodded stiffly, but Alyssa could almost see the cogs in her head turning as she mulled over what Alyssa was saying. She didn’t answer in words, but the air around them relaxed, and Alyssa’s breathing started to come easier, and maybe that was enough of an answer for now.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! now please yell at me to actually get started on my next au project


End file.
